From the Ellinwood Chamber
The Ellinwood Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce that Larry and Phyllis Vogt have been selected as the Distinguished Citizens for the 53rd Annual Ellinwood After Harvest Festival. This honor recognizes individuals whose lives have made a lasting impact on the community through service, leadership, and dedication. Few people embody those qualities more completely than Larry and Phyllis.
Their Ellinwood story began in 1966 when Larry accepted a teaching position at Ellinwood High School. This year marks 60 years since the Vogts first made Ellinwood their home.
When asked what drew him to Ellinwood, Larry’s answer was simple.
“Ellinwood had one of the best reputations in the state,” he recalled. “I was so excited to have been selected to teach there.”
With that excitement, Larry and Phyllis packed up their young family, leaving the Hesston area with their one- and three-year-old children to begin a new adventure. What they couldn’t have known at the time was that Ellinwood would become their lifelong home and the community they would help shape for the next six decades.
Larry dedicated his entire teaching career to Ellinwood High School, where he taught Accounting, Economics, General Business, Typing, and other business education courses that prepared generations of students for success. Beyond the classroom, he also coached football and basketball, helping lead the 1970 Eagles boys basketball team to a State Runner-Up finish.
While teaching was Larry’s profession, community improvement was his passion.
Recognizing a need for quality car wash facilities in central Kansas, Larry and his father purchased a closed car wash in Great Bend in 1971. After installing all new equipment, they reopened the business to the public. Larry enjoys recalling that a five-minute car wash cost just 35 cents and a vacuum was only 10 cents in those early days.
As Larry balanced teaching and coaching with business ownership, fellow educator Edgar Sturtz would often keep an eye on the car wash whenever Larry was out of town. What began as a favor grew into a remarkable 40-year business partnership built on friendship, trust, and a shared vision.
In 1979, Larry and Edgar dreamed even bigger, expanding their business by building car washes in Ellinwood, Lyons, and another location in Great Bend. Larry also partnered with Dennis Carson in 1976 to establish C & V Home Improvement, another venture that reflected his entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to serving area communities.
While Larry pursued his teaching career and business ventures, Phyllis was the steady foundation that kept everything together. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, and faithful supporter of Larry’s many endeavors. As a coach’s wife, she rarely missed a game, and she was always there to encourage and support their children in their activities.
Her heart for service reached far beyond her own family. A devoted Christian and active member of her church, Phyllis has quietly dedicated countless hours to helping others. She was a member of the founding board of CASA in Barton County, helping write the bylaws that established the local program. For the past 25 years, she has also faithfully volunteered with the Kansas Guardianship Program, providing advocacy and support for individuals who need someone to stand beside them.
Together, Larry and Phyllis have lived lives centered on faith, family, and service. They have never sought recognition for their efforts, choosing instead to simply help wherever there was a need. Through education, business, volunteerism, and ministry, they have touched countless lives and strengthened the Ellinwood community in ways that will be felt for generations.
When asked what has kept them in Ellinwood for the past 60 years, their answer was immediate: the people. They spoke of the friendships they have formed, the colleagues they have worked alongside, and the church family that has become such an important part of their lives. It is those relationships, they say, that have made Ellinwood home.
Larry and Phyllis have been blessed with four children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They will celebrate 65 years of marriage later this year with a Labor Day weekend family gathering in Ellinwood, bringing together children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and extended family to celebrate a lifetime of love and commitment.
Festival attendees will have the opportunity to congratulate Larry and Phyllis during the After Harvest Festival Parade as they ride in a beautifully restored white 1967 Chevrolet pickup. Purchased by the family in 1973 and driven by their son during the parade, the pickup represents another cherished piece of the Vogts’ family history.
This year’s festival theme is “Where Big Dreams in a Small Town Come Alive,” and no story illustrates that theme better than Larry and Phyllis Vogt’s. They came to Ellinwood with a dream of teaching, built successful businesses through hard work and determination, raised a family grounded in faith and service, and spent six decades making their community stronger.
The Ellinwood Chamber of Commerce is honored to recognize Larry and Phyllis Vogt as the Distinguished Citizens of the 53rd Annual After Harvest Festival. Their legacy is not defined by one accomplishment but by a lifetime of quietly serving others, investing in their community, and demonstrating that the greatest measure of success is the positive impact you leave on the lives of those around you.
Congratulations, Larry and Phyllis, on this well-deserved honor. Thank you for making Ellinwood a better place to live, work, and call home.